Mobility software provider PTV Group has announced that it is one of the key partners in the new CycleRAP international project to map cycling safety.
PTV is working together with the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), the non-profit institution Fundación Mapfre and the Union Cyclist Internationale to run pilots of the new CycleRAP evidence-based infrastructure risk evaluation model in five cities.
CycleRAP has been designed to help cities better address the safety of their street and path networks specifically for cycling and light mobility. To understand the infrastructure risk for cyclists and light mobility users and showcasing best practices, the application of this model will now be tested across five pilot cities: Madrid and Barcelona, Spain, Bogota, Colombia, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.
The project works with local partners to identify network risks and produce maps showing how safe the infrastructure is for cyclists and users of other types of mobility vehicles. It is the first application of the model in Spain and outside Europe.
PTV will work with one of the pilot cities on the visualization of the CycleRAP model results and evaluate infrastructure improvements. Based on the latest technology of PTV Model2Go a supply model of the city will be generated using OpenStreetMap data for a detailed urban bicycle network configuration. The CycleRAP analysis will then be applied in the multimodal network and analysis platform, PTV Visum, which is well suited for managing, calculating, and visualizing bicycling corridor safety analysis.
“The bicycle stands for modern climate-friendly mobility. It’s efficient, ecofriendly, affordable, and healthy. But unfortunately, cyclists are exposed to high risks, which is holding people back from using it as an alternative means of transport,” said Sofia Salek de Braun, Road Safety Ambassador at PTV Group.
“The infrastructure must change, because we will not succeed in changing mobility behaviors if streets continue to be dangerous, and people are killed or seriously injured. This is why we at PTV Group warmly embrace this cooperation iRAP, Fundación MAPFRE and the Union Cyclist Internationale to address bicycle safety,” Braun added.
The project results, due in October 2023, will give cities a clear understanding of how safe their infrastructure is, and provide key safety recommendations to help reduce risks. The project also aims to create a knowledge base to help cities replicate the approaches and improve safety of their cycling infrastructure. All the outputs will be launched publicly at the UCI Mobility and Bike City Forum, which take place on October 25 and 26, 2023 in Bruges, Belgium.